Sun, July 12: Bridge Swim-Willamette River, 8:30am-11am. The contestants will go for a 10.7-mile swim underneath all 12 of Portland's bridges. It’s too late to sign up yourself, but you can cheer on the participants!

Fri-Sun, June 12-14- The 5th Fruit Beer Fest. There will be interesting beer poured all three days, but look out for the rare kegs that will be tapped sporadically over the weekend. Burnside Brewing; $20 for 12 tickets and tasting glass

Sat, June 13- Scandinavian Midsummer Festival: The Nordic people of Portland are gathering this weekend for the traditional Midsummer Festival, a Scandinavian solstice event with singing, dancing, live music and plenty of obscure Scandinavian fair food. If you miss it, catch Midsummer in Astoria next week. 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. @ Oaks Park; $7 for adults, $6 for seniors and students, $15 for family of four

Sun, June 14- ZooBomb Century, an "annual death ride" that will dedicate an entire day to speeding downhill on a tiny bike. 10 a.m. @ Washington City Park; free

Sun June 14- Portland Buddhist Festival, opens with 108 bells and meditation, running through speakers, ceremonies and a big panel discussion, all under the banner of "peace in oneself, peace in the world." 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. @ Colonel Summers Park; free

I love vacations. No doubt about it. I love going to places I've never seen before, and places that I return to again and again, because I just like them a lot. This time it was the California desert which I find hauntingly beautiful. Not in a Grimm sort of Portland way, but in the "coyote calls, and the howling winds wail" kind of thing (thank you to Thin Lizzy for The Cowboy Song). But I'm home now and will be for the duration of the summer and fall. So, maybe you're sticking around the Portland area too, and need a handy list of things to do. Well, here you go. Happy planning. I'll update the list from time to time so check here, and I'll post it when Dave Scott reminds me to. ~Iris

Sat, March 28- The 13th Vampire's Masquerade Ball, Melody Ballroom, "a night of gothic elegance and decadence" that eschews all stereotypes of costume or character, relishing instead in the wholehearted dedication to the purity of period and the lavishly macabre.

Sat, March 14: Stumptown LepreCon 2015" presented by Stumptown Events. It is a St. Paddy's Day, costume themed event raising money for the Portland Police Sunshine Division. It starts with free admission to the tent at Kells Irish Pub and includes 9 other venues, Dj'd music and other fun activities.

Sun, March 15: The 37th Shamrock Run . The 6th consecutive year the race has completely sold out. Last 500 spots open up Monday, March 9, at 9 a.m. Organizers expect 35,000 people to take the streets in downtown Portland.

March 7-8: Cannon Beach Yoga Festival. All weekend in Cannon Beach, workshops for any level of experience.

March 7: 4 - 10 p.m. TOAST 2015 at the Leftbank Annex in Southeast Portland. The 5th annual artisan spirits tasting event, More than 40 distillers and producers will get together to sample handcrafted products, including whiskey, liqueurs, aquavit, brandy and more.

Here's another handy list of things to do in the area. Holiday style! These don't have links, just a list and I suggest you do a search if you want more information! Cheers!~Iris

Things to do in the Portland/Vancouver area:

Fri, Dec 12 at Noon through Dec 14, Holiday Express at Oaks Amusement ParkJoin Santa Claus and his elves for a magical ride behind Portland’s famous steam locomotives. Vintage rail cars transport you through wilderness in the heart of the city. Round-trip rides run from Oaks Park Station through Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge to the Springwater Trail gateway on the Oregon Pacific Railroad. Trains depart 6-10 times daily between 10 AM and 8 PM.

Sat, Dec 13-23, The Miracle of a Million LightsVictorian Belle is known as “The Miracle of a Million Lights” and is open to the public for tours of the decorated house. 1441 N McClellan Street Portland, Family friendly, Festival, Food & Drink,

Now through Dec 28, Winter Wonderland at the Portland Raceway, 5-10pm. Portland International Raceway. A sensational display of lights and animation spanning the track at Portland International Raceway. Enjoy the largest drive-through light show in the Northwest right from the comfort of your own car.

Thursday, Dec 11- Jan 4, ZooLights at the Oregon Zoo. 5-8pm. Each year, the Oregon Zoo and its animals celebrate the holiday by covering the Zoo in thousands of brilliant lights in amazing, animal-themed displays.

Now through-Dec 26, Ugly Sweaters in Downtown Stumptown, Thursdays in Pioneer Courthouse Square. Some of downtown’s most iconic sculptures will don their holiday finery for the season. A team of local fiber artists will give the statues so-ugly-they’re-cute wardrobe changes on Thursdays through Christmas. Wear your ugly sweaters downtown and take selfies with these yarn-bombed statues. Be sure to tag pictures with #UglySweaterPDX.

Here's another handy list of things to do in the area. Holiday style! These don't have links, just a list and I suggest you do a search if you want more information! Cheers!~Iris

Things to do in the Portland/Vancouver area:

Fri, Dec 12 at Noon through Dec 14, Holiday Express at Oaks Amusement ParkJoin Santa Claus and his elves for a magical ride behind Portland’s famous steam locomotives. Vintage rail cars transport you through wilderness in the heart of the city. Round-trip rides run from Oaks Park Station through Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge to the Springwater Trail gateway on the Oregon Pacific Railroad. Trains depart 6-10 times daily between 10 AM and 8 PM.

Sat, Dec 13-23, The Miracle of a Million LightsVictorian Belle is known as “The Miracle of a Million Lights” and is open to the public for tours of the decorated house. 1441 N McClellan Street Portland, Family friendly, Festival, Food & Drink,

Now through Dec 28, Winter Wonderland at the Portland Raceway, 5-10pm. Portland International Raceway. A sensational display of lights and animation spanning the track at Portland International Raceway. Enjoy the largest drive-through light show in the Northwest right from the comfort of your own car.

Thursday, Dec 11- Jan 4, ZooLights at the Oregon Zoo. 5-8pm. Each year, the Oregon Zoo and its animals celebrate the holiday by covering the Zoo in thousands of brilliant lights in amazing, animal-themed displays.

Now through-Dec 26, Ugly Sweaters in Downtown Stumptown, Thursdays in Pioneer Courthouse Square. Some of downtown’s most iconic sculptures will don their holiday finery for the season. A team of local fiber artists will give the statues so-ugly-they’re-cute wardrobe changes on Thursdays through Christmas. Wear your ugly sweaters downtown and take selfies with these yarn-bombed statues. Be sure to tag pictures with #UglySweaterPDX.